London ‘might have to be expanded to swallow up commuter belt towns’ such as Epsom, Spelthorne and Three Rivers

The boundaries of London may have to be pushed outward to swallow commuter belt towns and villages that are “utterly dependent” on the capital, according to a leading planning expert.

Planning consultant Barney Stringer said London’s population is growing so fast that politicians will be forced to look at ways of redrawing the map.

But his comments sparked a fierce debate in “independent” communities such as Epsom and Staines, with one councillor warning such areas would become outliers of huge “Soviet-style London boroughs”. In a blog titled “Is London too Small?”, Mr Stringer said the capital was surrounded by a “whole dormitory belt... that is utterly dependent on the city for work”.

He added: “In many cases entire districts — Epping Forest, Spelthorne, Epsom and Ewell and Three Rivers — provide fewer jobs for their residents than London does.

“Is it time to redraw London boundaries once again, to embrace those areas that already function as part of the city? Or are there other ways to integrate London’s hinterland, perhaps by giving the Mayor of London greater powers over transport beyond London’s boundaries?”

He said London’s population would increase by 1.3 million from its current 8.2 million if it grew to take in communities where at least half the workforce commute into the capital.

The current London boundaries were set in 1965.

Local government expert Tony Travers, director of research group LSE London, warned that any further attempt to increase the sprawl of the capital was likely to be met with resistance.

He said: “Most places just outside the London boundary are largely unenthusiastic about being embraced — though they would like Oyster and concessionary travel — because their residents like being outside ‘London’.”

Epsom and Ewell councillor Eber Kington backed up his prediction, saying: “My view is if Epsom and Ewell get absorbed into London we will get London policies, London politics and London politicians.

“People commute for the vibrancy of city life and then come back to where they want to live.”

Colin Davis, who represents Staines South ward on Spelthorne council, said: “Like many ideas it has a superficial attraction.

“I see no case whatsoever for Spelthorne to be redrawn from its riverside facilities and moulded, for example, as an outlying area of the Soviet-style London boroughs.”

He told the Standard: “It’s not for me to tell people elsewhere whether they should be in London or not. I suspect enlarging London is too big an upheaval to happen yet, but may well need to happen in a generation’s time. We ought to think about how else to make London work across its wider functional area.

“That probably means giving Transport for London more control over more commuter rail routes.”

Your say ‘travel could be cheaper’

Tim Salmon, 28, Engineer from Sevenoaks, Kent, who commutes to London Bridge:"It would be nice to feel more part of the city but I don’t want to contribute towards that and commuters should have a say. As a commuter you don’t feel involved and on the periphery."

Bill Skeates, 45, Environmentalist from Chertsey, Surrey, who commutes into Victoria:"Chertsey is like a little village with it’s own community and everything else, which is very important. As London spreads, the city itself loses its identity."

Olivia Mowatt, 26, Recruiter from West Malling, Kent, who commutes into London Bridge and Victoria: "I commute a few times a week to avoid being part of London and avoid the hassle and the fees. If the boundaries did extend out, I think people should be compensated."

Shaun Morrison, 47, Account manager from Coulsdon, Surrey:"It would be better if they did extend because we might become part of Zone Six so the cost of travel would go down maybe. It would be nicer to have more of a say in how London is run."